The C in D.C: Project X & The Race Between The Unknowns

Luckily, DC has yet to be plagued with another year of Snowmageden or Snowpocolypse, so I’ve been much more interested in being out and about, rather than in and on the couch with my sparse free time. What that means is my weeks of regimented movie catching up has been foiled and I am, once again, behind on what’s at Red Box. Or on Netflix. Or even what came out at all during the fall and spring semester.

Since college encompasses all of my time – and money – the movie theaters and I are like an estranged married couple; we both want to see each other but can never put the time or money in to quite make it happen. And, as it turns out, I like to take advantage of our half-hearted situation and movie hop from blockbuster to blockbuster. No wonder we don't last too long. 

On a recent whim, a friend and I decided to splurge for a 2-for-1 movie: 2 movies, 1 ticket. Our intentions were to see the new action-packed Denzel Washington movie, Safe House. But after realizing we’d be over half an hour late, we decided to concede to anything else that happened to be playing at 11:30pm on a Friday. One can imagine choices were slim.

Enter stage right, Project X. What was described as a ‘pretty cool party movie’ turned out to actually be one of the most blatantly outlandish, racist, stereotypical fantasies I've ever seen - concocted from the mind of a 15-year old boy Im sure - than an actual movie. Nudity, drugs, subordination, destruction, mayhem and a mob mentality similar to “I Want To Rock & Roll All Night”, only enacted by horny suburban teens and surprisingly mastermind by 3 awkward boys. The whole movie was just nonsense after nonsense, plot or basic movie planning be damned, and instead injected with hormones, bad ideas and enough randoms to actually do all those bad ideas. Oh yes and alcohol - the driving factor toward everyones release of any inhibitions they felt moral pressure to stifle. 

All in all - I was not the least bit impressed and having not even paid for my admission into the theater, I still expected some refund of money. Or time. Or simply the trillion or so brain cells I had undoubtedly lost in those 2 hours. 

I found it especially odd that, only a day or so later, the talk of every virtual town was Project X. It was trending on Twitter, both as a promoted topic and one voluntarily talked about, all around the country. It was hyped up and discussed on Facebook. And I even received a verbal bantering when a friend informed me his friends (two sets of friends removed - let's keep that in mind) had actually worked on the film, and how impressive it and the soundtrack both were for a mere 12 million dollars. How dare I. 

12 million lost, in my opinion. It doesn't take 12 million to capture volatile teen spirit. 

On the complete other hand, Red Tails, a relevant movie about the historical and irrefutably iconic Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, had noteble issues getting made. Even with a war theme. With an all-star cast. With an accomplished producer like George Lucas. 

Why? Because the cast was all-Black. Because there were no major roles for Caucasians. Because the entire film celebrates Black accomplishments in history and against adversity. Really, how many films have been made that encompass all three of these aspects? 

George Lucas, being an avid supporter of colorful movie magic, has ignored the barriers imposed upon his creativity and vision since Star Wars of the 70's and Billie Dee Williams. (Pause to swoon).

Still, even stamping his name on Red Tails did not automatically convince the studios. So - like a boss - Lucasfilms footed the bill to produce the film. And yes, it cost quite a bit more than 12 million like Project X. 

Which is what brings me to my actual full encompassing observation: Movies like Project X, as 'cheap' and invaluable as they are to the world of movies, are still being made and someone is ultimately footing the bill and making major dough. There were no writers, the set was some random Pleasantville-esque neighborhood and 90% of the actors were extras. Yet an actual movie, that has all those lacking factors and then some, has trouble being made even when backed by a legendary movie producer and a qualified cast?

Its less of a matter of which movie was actually better (hello - they are completely opposite & appeal to different audiences) but more so which movies are getting made, why, and why aren't others?

What if Lucasfilms had not stepped up to the plate to pay? A movie like Red Tails would never have been made? 

How many other un-Lucas-afied films are about to be trashed without the money to make them?

Least we remember these aren't just 2 movies. One is a predominantly White film, while the other is mostly Black. Interestingly enough, Red Tails actually had more White people in it, even being set in 1940's Europe and being about the Tuskegee Airmen, than Project X had Black people, placed at a party in the US 2012. 

Does that seem odd to anyone else?

I believe the media reflects back onto its public what they want to see. What they want to believe and what they are comfortable accepting as a mirrored reality. Movies are simply a facade of that multi-dimensional projection. Does this mean we, as a society encompassed of countless ethnicities and cultures, want more of the racism and stereotypical personas we seemingly try to eradicate? Are we perpetuating our own discomforts and prejudices to ourselves and even the youth? Or are we simply too caught up in the mind warp that is 'Caucasian is better' and can't seem to convince ourselves otherwise, even when compared to something more inclusive and actual? I project an image that is certainly not being mirrored back to me, on any level, in any medium of the media. 

Im unsure what it is exactly. But more than ever I can actually see past the hype and the smoked mirrors to the media machine behind it all. And it's trying to feed me more of the same colorless bullshit as ever before.

Enough. Im full.